


Breathe

by EmpressofTears



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Mutual Pining, but nothing actually happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7241191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressofTears/pseuds/EmpressofTears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>J. Daniel Atlas has always been a control freak. He’s on top of every situation and seven steps ahead of everyone else. Rarely is he found without his cocky attitude and stupid confidence, but when he is… He’s vulnerable. </p>
<p>or </p>
<p>Danny has a panic attack and Jack tries to comfort him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from the song "Breathe" from _In the Heights_.

It wasn’t fair. His smile was so open, so bright, so free. Every time Jack opened his mouth to tell a stupid joke or make a sarcastic comment, Danny felt his heart twinge. When Jack laughed, he fell a little bit more in love. 

That’s what it was—this terrible, wonderful feeling. Love. The tightness in his chest, the butterflies that had taken up a perpetual residence in his stomach. Danny had fallen head-over-heels in love with Jack Wilder. 

He didn’t know when it happened. Jack entered his life as an adoring fanboy. He was young, rash, and Danny barely gave him a second thought. But sometime, somewhere, somehow, Jack had worked his way into Danny’s heart of stone. Maybe it was his youthful energy and witty comments; they always managed to make Danny feel so alive. Or maybe whatever order that exists in the universe decided it was time to push them together. 

Regardless of the means, Danny found himself in love with the kid that was too old for his age and too young for his past. 

His breath hitched every time joking around with Jack led to the pair getting a little too close to be considered casual. Wrestling morphed into fuel for Danny’s wet dreams as he found himself pinned down, all of Jack’s weight resting on him. Danny was aware of every square inch of contact the two had, but the sleight never seemed to notice. Not the way Danny did. 

He tried to hide the way his stomach dropped whenever Merritt or Henley laughed and said that the two were practically dating. Whether it was a casual implication _(“Jack, get your boyfriend to calm down. He’s being a control freak again!”)_ or a not-so-subtle jab at their close friendship _(“God, when are you two gonna fuck already?”),_ it hurt Danny like a knife to the heart. 

At their shows, the Horsemen worked together with amazing chemistry. Their tricks went off without a hitch, and the more they worked together, the smoother everything ran. Among the fans, Danny and Henley were the favorite pair. When the team gathered around a computer and read through some of the fanfiction written about them, they all laughed. Sure, the two had a past, but they were far from being in love. Danny could laugh it off with his teammates most of the time. He could ignore the jabs about the relationship between Henley and him because he knew that it wasn’t real. What his team didn’t know, however, was how his heartbeat sped up and a genuine smile crept across his face on the rare occasion that they found a story about him and Jack. 

Together. 

Happy. 

In love. 

As it was, Danny was stuck in a strange state of limbo, forever pining after the one person he couldn’t have. He watched Jack constantly, looking for any sign that his love was reciprocated. The other Horseman never seemed to show any interest in men, and he certainly didn’t show any interest in Danny. 

As much as he wanted it, Danny was resigned to the fact that he would never get his happily ever after with Jack. He’d never wake up on a lazy Sunday morning in Jack’s arms, content just to lay there and let the world move on around them. And Danny would never get the privilege of making Jack’s favorite chocolate chip pancakes in the morning to bring to his lover as breakfast in bed. 

He accepted that he wouldn’t go to fancy restaurants with Jack and eat pretentious pastas with ridiculous Italian names. He would never experience cheesy dates like picnics or visits to the aquarium. 

And Danny would never get to call Jack his boyfriend. 

In his dreams, of course, Danny could do all this. He could give up his control and become Jack’s entirely. But as soon as he was happy, Danny would wake in the middle of the night gasping Jack’s name and his dream would shatter. 

Love was a burning, stinging emotion, but Danny clung to it when he had nothing else. He tried to hide his emotions, tried to run away from his own secrets. He admitted that he loved Jack, but the consequences? That’s what he was most afraid of. That’s what he couldn’t control. Suppose he did tell Jack that he loved him. Then what? Jack wasn’t homophobic as far as Danny could tell, but he had no idea how his friend would react to gay declarations of love. Jack would probably laugh a little, wrinkle his nose at the thought of the two of them being together. Then as it settled in that Danny wasn’t joking, his face would cloud over with anger. That youthful smile and optimistic mindset would morph into a look of disgust. He’d push Danny away, sneer at him one last time, then walk out and let the door slam behind him. 

Tears were starting to form at the corners of Danny’s eyes at the thought of Jack leaving him, but he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his head. 

He was drowning in the idea of being left alone, of Jack hating him forever. Sobs began to wrack his body and tears fell freely, anxiety growing with each minute that passed. 

Waves of emotion crashed over Danny all at once. He was drowning, surrounded in his own thoughts, and he couldn’t find a way out of his own mind. He couldn’t breathe, the waves around him were too high, too strong, he couldn’t keep his head above the water and he was helpless. 

In. 

Out. 

He couldn’t get enough oxygen to his brain. 

Danny wasn’t in control. 

In the back of his mind, Danny was aware of the rough carpet below him and the cream colored walls that surrounded him, that were closing in on him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach that place. He couldn’t find any clarity. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on his breathing, _what breathing? He wasn’t breathing._ No, he was crying, and the tears were streaking down his face and he couldn’t stop them, and he couldn’t control himself. 

He was alone. 

When the door to his bedroom opened, Danny barely noticed. He was curled into a ball at the foot of his bed, visibly shaking. 

“Danny?” a soft voice called quietly towards the small figure. “What’s going on?” Danny’s brain registered the words slowly, processing each one carefully. _What did they mean?_

Of course it had to be Jack. The one person who could make things worse. 

Perhaps the one person who could make things better. 

Danny was vaguely aware of the door closing again and the hand that came to rest on his back, rubbing soothing circles. He curled into the warm body next to him, letting Jack’s calming presence take him away from his thoughts. Jack was the eye of the hurricane, granting Danny a small reprieve from the storm. 

Jack is here. 

Jack wasn’t going to leave. 

“Please don’t leave,” Danny sobbed pitifully. 

“Never,” Jack replied, his voice surprisingly smooth. “I’ll stay here as long as you need me, Danny. I’m not going to leave you.” 

“But you will,” Danny gasped in response. 

“Danny— ” 

“You’ll hate me and walk away from me and never look back,” his anxiety was ramping up as he spoke, fueling his painful thoughts. Images of a closed door flashed through Danny’s mind, making his hands shake even more. Sobs interrupted his speech every few words as he continued, “Why would you ever like me? I’m a controlling jackass, and I’m rude to everyone I meet. I’m stupid and pathetic and— ” 

“Don’t you dare say that, Danny,” Jack interrupted forcefully. Then his voice softened, and he wrapped his arms around the other man to pull him closer. “I don’t hate you, not even a little bit. I won’t pretend to know what’s going on in that wonderful brain of yours, but you need to stop thinking like that. You’re brilliant and amazing, and it’ll take a hell of a lot to make me walk away from you.” 

Danny made a noncommittal noise, but remained tucked away in Jack’s arms. He felt safe there, which only made things worse for him. He was lying to Jack, lying by omission for not telling him how he feels. Danny was using their friendship. He was being selfish and cruel by taking Jack’s time and attention without telling him about his real motivation. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jack asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Danny’s breathing had evened out and his thudding heartbeat had calmed. The only response he received was a quick jerk of the head, a decisive “no” from Danny. 

So they stayed there for a while, Jack holding Danny close and soothing the anxious man. Eventually, he began running his fingers through Danny’s hair. He reveled in its softness, how the curls bounced back into place so effortlessly. 

“Do you want me to talk?” Jack asked softly. 

Danny hesitated, then nodded slightly and burrowed his head into Jack’s chest. There, he could listen to his steady heartbeat and feel the vibrations of the sleight’s words. 

“I was six when I first got interested in magic,” Jack said, his words immediately entrancing Danny. “My mom worked long shifts at a gas station right next to a magic shop. It was called ‘Abracadabra’ if I remember correctly. A stupid name, but I loved it. I got my first deck of cards from that shop, and I played with them constantly. I learned how to shuffle, how to pull a card out of someone’s ear. I could make those babies fly. Even when my parents dragged me to Great Aunt Sally’s for dinner and I had to dress up in a suit and tie, they were sitting in my pocket. Man, I wouldn’t part with those cards if my life depended on it. That’s when I picked up most of the basics of card tricks. 

“But then my mom died, and I never went back to that stupid little store. My dad was an asshole, so child services showed up and put me in the system. I have three little siblings and no idea where they went. Haven’t heard from them in like twelve years.” 

Jack broke off, seemingly unsure of what to say next. 

“You said you were on the street,” Danny prompted, his voice hesitant for perhaps the first time in his life. “What happened?” 

“I ran away,” was Jack’s simple response. “I couldn’t live like that, moving to a new home every couple months. I was never any good at getting along with foster parents. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t all terrible, I just… I guess I got stuck with a lot of shitty ones. There was one couple, really nice people, they took me to magic shows once they learned that I loved card tricks. That’s when I saw you for the first time, actually. J. Daniel Atlas, cocky and brilliant. You were my hero, man. I wanted nothing more than to be like you. 

“But life was shitty and I got moved to another home because those folks got too old to take care of a teenager. The mom was a drunk and the dad was abusive, so yeah, I ran away and lived on the streets for a few years. It was there that I learned how to pickpocket.” 

“Such a rascal,” Danny teased. His voice sounded stronger now, and Jack was happy just knowing that his shitty backstory could be useful, even if it was only a distraction from another shitty situation. 

“I swear to god, I never stole from anyone that needed their money more than me. I had my morals,” Jack said defensively, his laughing tone taking all the bite out of the statement. 

“And now you’re here,” Danny said, “stealing millions of dollars from rich bastards and exposing the villains of the market economy.” 

“Now I’m here,” Jack echoed. “I’m right here.” 

“I think I’m okay now,” Danny said, but he made no move to pull away from Jack’s embrace. He felt happy there. Safe and warm. 

“Okay,” Jack responded quietly. After a beat, he said, “You know you can tell me anything, Danny. I mean it, I’ll listen.” 

The only response Jack got was a sigh. Just when he had given up hope that Danny would open up to him, he started to speak. 

“I have severe anxiety. I have meds and they help me get through the day, but sometimes I just can’t pull myself together, and then I have anxiety attacks. I feel like I’m drowning and I can’t get out of my head and every single way a situation can go wrong is running through my head. Breathing is normally the hardest part for me, like I forget how to do it. Usually all I need is for someone to distract me, pull me out of my own head.” 

At some point during his speech, Jack resumed carding his fingers through Danny’s hair. He couldn’t tell if Danny noticed or not, but since he made no move to stop him, Jack kept going. 

“Do the others know about this?” Jack asked softly, curiosity getting the better of him. Danny nodded slightly in response. 

“Henley knows from back when she was my assistant. Actually, she was the one that told me to get on meds in the first place.” Danny let out a dry laugh. “Now that I’m thinking about it, Merritt probably knows, too. Damn him and his stupid mind reading bullshit.” 

They both let out breathy laughs at Danny’s last statement. It’s a good sign that Danny can crack jokes, Jack thinks. He’s regaining his control. 

“Thanks for telling me, Danny,” Jack said sincerely. “If you ever need someone to talk to, like if you need to get your mind off something, find me. I don’t care what time of day, I’ll always be willing to help you out.” 

Danny felt a blush rise on his cheeks at the thought of Jack taking care of him. Cuddling with him, running his hands through Danny’s unruly hair. How much would the situation change if they were dating? Well, there’d be a _lot_ more cuddling for one thing. Danny would personally see to that. And Jack would actually take the time to listen to what he was anxious about. His anxiety wouldn’t magically go away; Danny wasn’t naïve enough to believe that. At the very least, his stress would lesson with another shoulder to lean on. 

“Thanks, man,” Danny muttered into Jack’s chest. He inhaled, trying to memorize the other man’s scent. He smelled like pine trees and lavender and Daniel fell a little more in love with him. _Cold turkey,_ he thought, _all at once or not at all._ Gathering his strength, Danny pulled away from the embrace and sat up. 

He couldn’t look at Jack right away, didn’t want to look into those doe eyes after he had just confessed such a personal thing. 

“I’m gonna take a shower now,” Danny muttered, eyes flicking up to Jack’s face quickly before he looked away again. 

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. “Right. I’ll, uh, leave you to it.” He stood up and made his way out of Danny’s bedroom slowly. If he noticed the pair of eyes following his ass out of the room, he didn’t show any sign. 

The door shut and suddenly Danny was alone again with nothing to distract him from his thoughts. He pulled himself to his feet and padded to the bathroom, turning the handle in the shower so the water was scalding. 

Danny stripped quickly and hopped in, replaying in his mind that whole interaction. Jack heard his sobs and came to comfort him. He sat on the ground and held him in his arms while Danny cried his eyes out. He opened up about his shitty childhood and didn’t laugh at Danny for having anxiety. 

Jack cared about him. 

Maybe, and it was a huge _maybe,_ Jack liked him back. God, Danny felt like a middle school kid again, giggling about who he _like-likes_ and wondering if his feelings were at all reciprocated. 

Frustrated at his own indecisiveness, Danny shut off the spray of water in the shower and grabbed his fluffy towel to start drying out his hair. It was now or never for him; either he told Jack how he felt and got a weight off his chest or died from his maybe-not-so unrequited love. He quickly pulled on jeans and a gray shirt, running his hands through his hair in lieu of combing it out. 

He’d have to talk about it. He, J. Daniel Atlas, would have to willingly enter a conversation in which he would have no control. But for Jack? That’s the price he’d pay for love. 

It just wasn’t fair. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath. Basically, I'm gay and I need these dorks to acknowledge the mutual pining before the world ends.

Danny found Jack sitting in the living room of the loft that the Four Horsemen shared. In front of him were neat stacks of cards, lined up almost as if he was playing—

“Solitaire?” Danny scoffed. “You’re one of the greatest magicians in the world and you waste your time playing solitaire?”

Jack just laughed in response, loud and happy. His smile alone made Danny felt like he was melting, much less the way Jack’s eyes crinkled around the edges when he turned to look at Danny.

“Hello to you, too,” he threw back. Then he gestured around to the otherwise empty apartment. “Merritt and Henley are out right now. I think they said something about shopping and dinner at a pretentious restaurant, so we were on our own to find food. I went ahead and ordered Chinese takeout, so it should be here any minute. Sound good to you?”

“I—yeah, that sounds fine,” Danny stuttered. His heartbeat was speeding up again. It was just a conversation, right? He’d just walk up and say, Hey, man, I really want to suck your dick. Are we still cool?

God, no, he couldn’t say that. There had to be better ways, right? Ones that didn’t sound like a booty call?

Danny decided to take a seat next to Jack on the couch. For a few minutes, he watched nimble fingers pick up cards and shuffle (and win) their way through round after round of solitaire. Danny was impressed; Jack really knew what he was doing.

When the doorbell rang, Jack sprang up and ran to get their food. His cards lay forgotten on the coffee table, stuck in the middle of another game. Danny’s eyes followed him out of the living room before he, too, stood and made his way to the kitchen. Jack emerged from the doorway, triumphantly carrying a brown bag supposedly full of food. He and Danny laid it out on the table before they tucked in, scooping the food onto their plates. They ate their food happily, downing the Pork Lo Mein and General Tso’s Chicken quickly while discussing their next show.

“Hey, Jack?” Danny said suddenly, breaking the conversation away from the small talk. He wiped his hands on his jeans nervously before he continued, “I, uh, okay.”

“Yeah?” Jack garbled through a mouth of noodles. Danny rubbed his hands together, fidgeting nervously.

“I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon, about why I was panicking. If you still want to listen?” The statement came out as more of a question, making Danny cleared his throat awkwardly in a vain attempt to conceal his anxiety.

Jack set his fork down and swallowed quickly, turning his full attention towards his friend. “What did I say? I’ll always be here for you, Danny.”

“I, yeah, I know that, but I don’t know for sure, and today I was…” he sighed. “Shit. I started freaking about how to tell you something. With my anxiety, I have the tendency to obsess over a situation, imagine every way it can go wrong.

“This afternoon I got too wrapped up in all the bad reactions you could possibly have, and I panicked. I was scared that you would walk out the door and leave me forever.”

“I—Thanks for telling me, Danny,” Jack said, although he still looked a little confused. “Whatever it is you want to tell me, I’ll listen. If you’ve, I don’t know, murdered someone and need to hide the body, I can help! And I promise you, I will not walk out of your life, I could never do that.”

Danny just snorted. “I wish it was that easy. God, I could just hide a body and move on with my life.”

“But you can’t move on from this?”

Danny swallowed thickly. He looked away and mumbled something quietly.

“Sorry, man, I didn’t catch that,” Jack said.

“I think I’m in love with you, okay?” Danny said, blinking harshly like he was trying to stop tears from forming. He quickly glanced toward Jack, but his eyes flicked away before the two could share any eye contact. “I think I’ve been in love with you for a while.”

He let out a shaky breath. “God, I’ve probably fucked everything up now, so go ahead, hate me. At least you know.” He wiped at his eyes angrily, still resolutely avoiding Jack’s gaze.

“Danny,” Jack said softly. “Danny, look at me, please.” Slowly, he turned his head to meet Jack’s eyes.

“I think I love you, too.”

Danny was frozen, unable to move from his seat. The words didn’t make sense in his mind. Love. Jack. Jack in love? Jack in love with me? This was a whole new level of not-being-in-control and Danny hated it. He also kind of loved it.

Jack slowly stood up and walked to the other side of the table. Danny was vaguely aware of being pulled out of his chair by Jack’s strong arms. His head seemed to be full of cotton and that word, love kept cycling through his brain. Then there was a hand on his waist and another one on his cheek.

And when Jack’s lips met his, Danny snapped out of his reverie. He kissed back, soft and sweet. He poured his anxieties, his fears, all his stress and insecurity into that kiss. He offered himself to Jack and he was consumed.

When they broke away, resting their foreheads together, both were breathless.

“Hi,” Jack mumbled.

“Hi,” Danny whispered back.

Their second kiss was so beautifully different from their first.

Danny’s hands were on Jack’s hips, his back, his waist, anywhere they could reach while his lips were latched onto Jack’s: passionate, desperate, and perfect in every way. The kiss deepened, and Jack moaned into Danny’s mouth. His nimble fingers slipped under Danny’s shirt and traced patterns against his pale skin. But as soon as Jack began to fiddle with the waistband of Danny’s jeans, the older magician broke away from the kiss, panting.

“Wait,” Danny said, and Jack quickly pulled his hands away.

He looked searchingly into Danny’s eyes and took a step back. In a panicked tone, he asked, “Did I do something wrong? Is this okay? Shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Danny raised his hands to placate the young man.

“No! No, no, no, this isn’t your fault. Jack, you’re perfect.” Danny rushed to assure his boyfriend (?). Then he sighed heavily and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder. “Just not tonight, okay?”

“God, I rushed things. I’m so sorry, Danny.” Guilt seeped into Jack’s words, like he was terrified of screwing everything up.

“It’s not even that,” Danny said, and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I want to have sex with you, I really do. It’s just…” he trailed off as if searching for the right words. “Anxiety attacks drain me, physically and emotionally. After this afternoon and all the panicking I’ve done, I’m not sure sex would be a good idea for me right now.”

Jack let out a breath and visibly relaxed. “So am I getting a raincheck on this hot make out session?” he teased playfully. “Another chance to lay you out on the kitchen counter and fuck you into oblivion?” Despite his jokes and easy smiles, it didn’t take a mentalist to figure out he was deeply relieved that he hadn’t hurt his friend.

“Absolutely,” Danny replied as he gently kissed the crook in Jack’s neck. “And the dishes can wait. For now, we are going to cuddle and watch Netflix or something.”

“You read my mind. Parks and Rec?”

Danny just hummed in agreement, and the two separated. He went in search of a soft blanket to pull over themselves while Jack cued up the show. Soon, upbeat music filled the empty loft and the two magicians settled into the couch in the living room to enjoy the episode.

After a few minutes, Jack broke the comfortable silence. “I guess now is as good a chance as any to have this conversation. Are we… dating?”

“Do you want to be?” Danny asked, cuddling further into Jack’s side.

“Yeah.” Jack sounded content, a fact that made Danny smile all the more. The sleight blushed when he admitted, “I’ve wanted to call you my boyfriend for a long time now.”

Danny pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips before responding, “Sounds like a deal.”

Neither could contain their broad smiles at that statement.

\---

When Merritt and Henley stumbled through the doorway at three in the morning, they weren’t expecting any surprises. As it was, there were dirty containers of Chinese food sitting on the kitchen table (a mess Danny would normally throw a fit over) and lights left on in the hallway and living room (something Jack knew would make Henley’s blood pressure rise).

“It’s strange that they didn’t clean up after themselves,” Merritt muttered to Henley, tripping over his own feet as he walked over to the living room to turn off the lights. Suddenly he began giggling and gestured for Henley to come over.

And what a sight it was to behold. Jack and Danny were snuggled together on the couch, fast asleep. Danny’s head was tucked carefully under Jack’s chin, and his narrow waist was held securely in Jack’s arms.

Smiling lovingly at her boys, Henley snapped a few pictures on her phone.

“For future use,” she told Merritt. “It never hurts to have blackmail on some of the greatest magicians in the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'd like to say right now that anxiety is not the same for everyone. If you have an acquaintance, friend, family member, or significant other who has anxiety, do not expect them to have the same reactions to certain situations as Danny. Communication is key, people! Talk to them about it if you have questions, and please be respectful.

**Author's Note:**

> There is a shortage of fics for this ship and its killing me. Thus, my remedy.


End file.
